Test Yourself: Fake News Quizzes

What Makes a News Story Fake?

1. It can't be verified

A fake news article may or may not have links in it tracing its sources; if it dos, these links may not lead to articles outside of the site's domain or may not contain information pertinent to the article topic.

2. Fake news appeals to emotion

Fake news plays on your feelings - it makes you angry or happy or scared. This is to ensure you won't fact-check.

3. Authors usually aren't experts

Most authors aren't journalists, but paid-trolls.

4. It can't be found anywhere else

If you look up the main idea of a fake news article, you might not find any other news outlet (real or not) reporting on the issue.

5. Fake news comes from fake sites

Did the article come from abcnews.com.co? Or mercola.com? Realnewsrightnow.com? These and a host of other URLs are fake news sites.

Fake news is information that is clearly and demonstrably fabricated and that has been packaged and distributed to appear as legitimate news. Fake news refers to a specific piece of information -- it does not refer to any particular type of news outlet or individual.

Forms of misinformation that weaponize Fake News:

Propaganda: Misleading or highly biased information that is specifically designed to confirm or promote a particular ideological viewpoint

Clickbait:articles that feature headlines designed to get people to click on them, often by presenting a misleading or warped sense of what the post is about. (This does not necessarily constitute that the article is fake, but fake news often uses a clickbait format.)

Conspiracy Theory: an explanation or interpretation of events that is based on questionable or nonexistent evidence of a supposed "secret plan" by a group to obscure events.

Satire: writing or art designed to make social commentary based on mockery or imitation of real-life events or actors. (Some fake news sites claim to be satirists bu do not advertise themselves as satire.)

Misleading or Out-of-Context Information:this kind of information does not on its own constitute fake news as it is not wholly fabricated and it can exist within a news report that is based on actual events that occurred, but widely shared stories that contain misinformation can feed the larger ecosystem by creating a friendly audience for fabrications.

A Historical Perspective on Fake News

Fake News is nothing new. It has been around for a long time. The following articles, reports, and webpages provide some background information and context for the current events that have put fake news in the spotlight today, as well as the impact and problems associated with this kind of misinformation: